SANTA FE, N.M. — Celebrate mom this weekend with the 61st annual Mother’s Day Rio Grande Whitewater Races. The weekend-long spectacle just south of Taos kicks off today at the Rio Bravo Campground in Pilar’s Orilla Verde Recreation Area at the intersection of N.M. 570 and N.M. 68. On Friday, campers can participate in a Dutch Oven cookoff and potluck dinner. Races begin Saturday in a nearby 4.5-mile section of the Rio Grande along N.M. 68, with competitions in short and long kayak, stand-up paddle board, kayak slalom, a “down river rodeo,” a family race and 4- to 6-person rafts. Sunday also features what is being called an “on your own paddle” and a session with Kayak New Mexico’s paddle for special-needs participants. To register for races, which are $20 for the first event and $10 for every subsequent event, fill out waivers and obtain additional information, go to adobewhitewater.org. Camping registration is first-come, first-served at blm.gov/visit/orilla-verde-recreation-area. Spectators can watch the races for free.

HANDS-ON CULTURE: Turn a Santa Fe history lesson into a real-life experience by getting down in the dirt and building adobe bricks. For the second year in a row during national Heritage Preservation Month, the Historic Santa Fe Foundation is hosting brick-making community days throughout May. The next such day, which includes a workshop by the foundation and cultural preservation construction company Cornerstones, is this Saturday at the Palace of the Governor’s Courtyard from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The presentations will continue May 19 and 26 at the San Miguel Chapel, 401 Old Santa Fe Trail. On Wednesday, Cornerstones Project Director Jake Barrow will also give a talk at the History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., on the history and future of adobe building in New Mexico. “Is Adobe Relevant Today” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. All events are free and open to all, though the talk has limited seating.

PART OF YOUR WORLD: Santa Fe will take a trip “under the sea” this weekend with a production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” at the James A. Little Theater. The classic animated hit chronicling Ariel and her wish to live on land will be brought to life through Pandemonium Productions, with 60 local actors and a live band starting tonight at 7 p.m. Shows will continue throughout the weekend and May 18-20 at the New Mexico School for the Deaf’s theater, 1060 Cerrillos Road. Friday shows are at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday events are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for kids ages 12 and under; they can be reserved at 505-982-3327.